Hold Your Tongue
“People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue.”
Some great advice over at Harvard Business Publishing. If you want to get along with (and keep) your clients, you need to develop a habit of thinking carefully before replying to barbed words.
The advice applies to pretty much any interaction; co-workers, managers, spouses, even TSA at the airport. A few years back on a return trip, a TSA employee was giving me a hard time as he held up a Ziploc containing three toiletry items. “This is a gallon-sized bag”, said the agent. I said nothing; he was right. I knew I should have used a quart-sized bag, but I didn’t have any when I was packing. I almost interjected that TSA didn’t give me any trouble on the initial leg of my journey. And the items did meet the size & weight requirements. Again he said, “This is a gallon-sized bag”. I kept silent. Perhaps I was simply tired after a long week, but I just stood there looking at him. I refused to argue with him. I glanced over at his colleague for moral support. It worked. He waved me through and the first agent let me continue.
What you really want to say will usually make things worse. Hold your tongue. Reply with kindness and watch the tension melt away.
